I might be biased, because June's a very good friend of mine... but I just can't help but include her blog & store in my Feature Friday posts. She's a very talented crafter who makes things out of lots of different materials (a crafter after my own heart!) But, her main focus is crochet patterns done in a certain style, called amigurumi.
Aren't these guinea pigs adorable?!!!
Please do go check out her pattern store, she's just updated with these Halloween themed cuties! She has such a wide range of animal patterns available, though - there's enough there to please anybody I'd bet!
My favorite is the Polar Bear, they're so endangered and special - they may be gone in as little as 60 years! (I have to say a very close second goes to AmiDog Shiba Inu. June was sweet enough to make me one to match my Shiba Inu, Ginger. Trust me, having a cute little dog that doesn't poop or talk back, is awesome! Hehehe.) She has many more breed styles as well, though.*All images are copyright June Gilbank, and used only with her permission.
I've wanted to pick up crochet for quite some time now. I actually used to know how when I was younger, but had lost the knowledge somewhere along the way. I can remember chaining red and green garlands for Christmas trees, but don't really know if I ever did more with it. (I had really wanted to snap pics of this yesterday, and completely forgot. I figure if the post is up but missing pictures, I may have enough motivation to get them snapped and posted before the end of the week. Have I mentioned lately what a terrible blogger I am?!? LOL)Anyhoo, one of my very best blog-buddies, June has released some seriously awesome amigurumi patterns this year; and I knew I had to learn to crochet so I could make them. She makes such cuties, and is so creative with each new pattern - I really admire your consistency, June - you ROCK! LOL
I knew I'd need to start with something simple, and I've had grey and purple on my brain for a few weeks now. I had some oddballs of yarn that I thought might be perfect for this, and I'm really pleased with the combination. The purple yarn is Jaeger Extra Fine Merino DK, and I'm not sure what the other two are. I'm guessing the cream is a merino wool, and the grey might be a wool & cotton blend; but I don't really know for sure. I think my sister gave them to me when I first moved into my house - about 4 1/2 years ago! (No ball bands for these mystery yarns, unfortunately.)I started with the Stripes Forever pattern from the Happy Hooker book, and heavily modified it. See, I have this utter obsession with prime numbers… they're universal, constant and yet infinite. Something about a number that's not dividable really fascinates me, and I knew I wanted to incorporate prime numbers in this design.
I changed the number of foundation chain stitches from 300 to 317, and altered the stripe variation to only use primes, and end with a prime total of rows (19 instead of 18.) The fringe was supposed to be 7" long, but I might trim it up to 5" since it's so uneven. I was a little suprised by how much the finished fabric curls. From what I read, it's the nature of the single crochet stitch; but I'm really hoping I can remedy the curling with a good blocking. Since I'm not sure what the yarn content is, I think I need to wet-block first and steam-block as a last resort; so we'll just have to wait & see how that goes.Now, I think I'm ready to tackle some of June's fuzzy friends, it's just a matter of choosing which one?!?!?! Fuzzy penguin, monkey, kitty or lamb - I'm leaning towards the lamb since I probably wouldn't have to buy yarn for it. I've got 2 balls of black fizzy eyelash, as well as a few extra balls of black Microspun hanging around (although it's splitty as hell, so who knows whether or not it would crochet well.) I can't wait to make my first amigurumi, they're so adorable!!!
Alice's blog, FutureGirl, rocks my socks off! LOL I found her blog through Whiplash, and her Octophrost is probably my favorite, although her felt sewing tutorial is awesome too! LOL She's got an awesome Etsy store, with cute bags & clutches like this little number! (Click on the pic to go there!)
I'm so amazed by how many wonderful crafters share their lives through blogs. It can be very time consuming, and sometimes not as fun as we might've hoped it would always be. When I start feeling down about my work/blog/life, all I have to do is visit one of many new blog friends, and I'm refreshed and inspired, motivated and moved. Alice is such a sweetheart, and her blog is one of those I turn to for those very things, so thank you Alice! She also has a wonderful tutorial section with lots of awesome tips! Gotta love a great tut! Go visit!
I love getting recommendations for new blogs to spotlight here, so please feel free to leave a comment or email me with them!
Alicia's blog, Posie Gets Cozy, is amazing! Her latest project, the Ripple Blanket, has spurred a huge online community to ripple and de-stash, all at the same time! I'm not very good at crochet, otherwise I'd probably already have started one for myself! LOL Her posts are truly heartwarming, and they really captivate me. I've always been a visual person, so when I started reading a blog with multiple paragraphs per post; I knew she had a special quality, that I both admire and aspire to. Don't get me wrong, her photos are GORGEOUS! But her words are so touching and personal. I should say positively personal, because I sometimes struggle with feeling like the personal things I share on my blog are too "fishing for sympathy/compliments/attention" or negative. I try and keep things happy & light, but life doesn't always go along with those plans! I don't want to come across as a whiner, but I think there's a balance in between not sharing anything negative, and sharing too much. Alicia's found a balance, and it's refreshing for me to see (that it can be achieved.) Go check her out, and the Ripple-along! (She's also one of the judges for the Softie Awards! Good luck Wee Curvy Kitten!)I'd also really love to hear what you're favorite blogs are! I'm always looking for new ones to read, and it's a little tougher now that I don't have time to Google for them! Who's your favorites? How bout yours? Link them here! Pretty please?!?!?!
June's blog, Crafty Bits @ Planet June is a great source of inspiration to me. I found her through Whiplash, and her great projects including a denim hair band, autumn bracelet, crochet & satin evening bag and quilted tea cozy are just a few of my favorites!
She's also been working on fun fuzzy crochet animals and you can buy her patterns for fuzzy bears, bunnies, chicks & lambs here. There's a contest on her blog to find a new animal for her next fuzzy crochet pattern; and the winner gets the pattern of their choice! I'm rooting for fuzzy fox next! LOL The contest end on March 10th, so go vote!
And June, don't think I missed your Fimo R2D2!!! I can't wait to see it when it's finished!
